UAE mobile users to get text to warn them about scams

TEXT SCAM: UAE mobile users will get a text message to warn them about scams. (Getty Images)

A total of 9.6 million text messages will be sent to UAE mobile phone users as part of a campaign to educate people about text and email scams.

The text messages, in Arabic and English, will be sent to Etisalat and du mobile subscribers in the coming weeks and are part of a wider awareness campaign that will be launched on Sunday, according to WAM news agency.

The messages warn customers to ignore suspect texts and emails, which often ask people to send money or reveal their personal and bank account details.

"The campaign aims to curb this dangerous phenomenon, which involves using mobile phones as a means for defrauding other people out of their savings by asking them to transfer credit," Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, director general of the Telecommunication Regulation Authority (TRA) told Gulf News.

The campaign has resulted from instructions from Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Etisalat & Spam SMS
Posted by Ian, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 13 August 2009 at 10:17 UAE time


I get more unwanted junk texts from Etisalat than anyone else. If they want to promote awareness of dodgy texts they might like to first curb their own spamming activities. And after the Blackberry up-grade fiasco, who is to say anything received from Etisalat is safe??

Mr Kevin - good one !! But it ain't gonna happen. But if they got the snooping good enough, could they use it to block the phishing texts & emails. They're pretty good at blocking access to other things....

Warning...
Posted by Mr Kevin, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 13 August 2009 at 09:37 UAE time


How about a campaign to curb the dangerous phenomenon of snooping on people's private email messages?

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